Paper Lanterns
by insomniac-amy
Summary: After returning to her own time, Kagome finds herself lonely and with Valentine's Day on the horizon, it's just another reminder of how lonely she is. She keeps her hope alive by releasing paper lanterns with a wish to find true love. Post-Canon.
1. Chapter 1

Paper Lanterns Chapter 1

Disclaimer: No matter how badly I might wish it otherwise, I do not own Inuyasha or any of the Inuyasha characters.

A/N: I'm still new at this and constructive criticism and suggestions are welcome, but please be gentle with me. This will hopefully be just a fluffy little chapter story with a little drama thrown in for good measure. Hope you enjoy! This is my first attempt at a true chapter story. I also wanted to acknowledge YoukiYume. I got my inspiration from her Doujinshi "Raindrops" Page 25 of Chapter 07. Here is the URL to the page .com/#/d4o2zys. It was the look on Kagome's face as she is holding the lantern and saying a prayer for the departed that really inspired me to write this.

Kagome let out a sigh as she passed yet another window display filled with giant hearts, smiling cupids and chocolates. She could just imagine those stupid little smiling cupids with their tiny little arrows of love laughing at her. "Stupid, smiling cupids," she groused as she continued walking. It was still a couple of weeks until Valentine's Day and she couldn't wait for the holiday to be over already. Not only was all of Tokyo trying to remind her that she was alone, but she had to be reminded about it at work as well. For the past few weeks it was all the girls at work could talk about. One girl was sure her boyfriend would be proposing and another was positive that her man was taking her on a romantic get away. Kagome couldn't help but feel some resentment at the fact that they all had that special someone to spend the day with, while she would be stuck at home by herself watching a sappy romance and eating a box of chocolates that she had bought for herself. Maybe she would just call in sick to work that day so she could avoid the emptiness that came with watching bouquets of flowers being delivered and knowing that none of them were for her.

It had been two years since she had returned from the feudal era and she was trying to get back to a normal life. For the first few months after she returned, she had spent her time crying and throwing herself pity parties. She found that as time went on, even though she still missed her friends terribly, that the pain had lessened somewhat. So she had finally put on her big girl panties, enrolled in school, and tried to get on with her life. Now twenty years old, she had her own small apartment and a good job working as a medical assistant in a doctor's office. She was mostly happy, but she was very lonely and truth be told, she found life a little boring. For so many years her life had been full of excitement. Sure it was hard and many times it was spent fighting for her life, but it had been strangely fulfilling. She couldn't help but feel that a normal life was a bit of a let down. There was no excitement in her life anymore. It left her with a hollow, empty feeling.

The thing she found most difficult about trying to be 'normal', aside from the fact that she was not a normal girl and never would be, was trying to date and find love. After having spent so much time around such powerful males, how was a normal human man supposed to measure up? Besides, she was quite powerful in her own right, even though she had only felt some weak demonic aura's and would probably never use her powers again, she was still a strong female. It would take a strong man to challenge her. She would never be satisfied with a man she could just walk all over. Which brought her thoughts to another question she had been pondering: "Why hadn't Inuyasha or Shippo tried to contact her? Maybe they hadn't lived to her time, or maybe they just didn't want to contact her, or maybe they couldn't find her." Rubbing her forehead, she decided to stop that train of thought before she gave herself a migraine. She had gone over the "what if's" and "maybe's" a million times already, so it would do no good to have the same arguments with herself.

She had been so deep in thought that she failed to watch where she was walking. She was abruptly brought back to the present when the wind was suddenly knocked out of her and her backside painfully getting acquainted with the sidewalk. With a slightly dazed expression she looked up, practically having to lean back because he was so tall, and saw what had to be the most handsome man that she had seen since Sesshoumaru. He was gorgeous! He had long silver-blonde hair that was tied back into a low ponytail and laughing honey golden eyes that seemed to peer right into her soul. He was dressed in a sleek black Armani suit, obviously tailor made just for him. 'Great job Kagome, the first good looking guy you see and what do you do? You try to bowl him over.' Smacking her forehead with an exasperated sigh, she looked up "I am so sorry that I ran into you, I wasn't watching where I was going." The man simply smirked and offered her a hand. After a mumbled "hn" he continued on to the black limo that was waiting at the curb and left. Still a little dazed, she couldn't help but feel that she knew him. Laughing at herself, she chalked it up to her fall.

Putting the incident out of her mind, she headed towards her empty apartment to prepare a paper sky lantern. She knew that it was childish and perhaps even a little silly, like wishing on a star, but it was a habit that she had started when she was a little girl. Over the years the various wishes she would write on her lantern had changed. She chuckled as she thought about her past wishes, whether it was a wish for a new doll or maybe even for luck on a test: once a week without fail for as long as she could remember she had been making them. Now, as they had for the past five years they all said the same thing, longing for love. After dark she would step out onto her small balcony and release the lantern, whispering a small prayer to any kami that might be listening. Once those lanterns had been meant for Inuyasha, but that time had come and gone with her wishes remaining just that. Even though her lanterns had mostly gone unanswered, it helped to keep her hope alive that one day she would indeed find love.

In a high rise office building across town a phone was answered and three words were exchanged. "I found her."


	2. Chapter 2

Paper Lanterns Chapter 2

Disclaimer: No matter how badly I might wish it otherwise, I do not own Inuyasha or any of the Inuyasha characters.

A/N: A huge, huge thank you to CritterWhisperer for doing the beta work on this chapter!

I also want to thank Wiccan for giving me some very helpful advice. Thank

you both, you guys are awesome 3

Inuyasha burst into his office followed closely by Shippo, both giddy with excitement and anticipation, and of course questions. The first question out of Inuyasha's mouth was, "Are you sure it was her?"

'Are you sure it was her?' he thought. Of course he was sure; he would know that scent anywhere, and it wasn't like he had only gotten just a whiff of it. She had run right into him, in fact her scent still clung to the suit he had been wearing the day before.

"How did you find her?"

Sesshoumaru chuckled before he responded, thinking about how he had found the miko. "I ran into her, or more accurately she ran into me."

After all the years of being around him, it still surprised both Inuyasha and Shippo whenever Sesshoumaru laughed. The long years had mellowed him and he was slightly more open and expressive. He was still able to strike fear in the hearts of others with just a glance, but they had learned that he was also capable of more than just the stoic personality that he was so famous for.

Sitting behind his massive cherry desk, Sesshoumaru pinched the bridge of his nose. He would have rolled his eyes if he didn't find the action so undignified. Here they were arguing over how to make "first contact," and who would have the privilege of doing so. Honestly, they had spent the last 250 years tossing about ideas on the subject. One would have thought that it would have been a sufficient amount of time to come to an agreement. It was mostly Inuyasha and Shippo doing the arguing, and since they were in his office, he was being forced to bear witness to the two bickering idiots. Sesshoumaru was a being who took great time and care into planning his every move, so he was already thinking over the best course of action.

"I was closest to her, so I think I should be the one to approach her first," Inuyasha yelled.

"Well, she considered me her son, so I think that as her 'family,' I should be the first," Shippo, the usually mild-mannered kitsune, said with a fierceness that surprised both Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru.

"Feh, I don't care what the hell you want. It's gonna be me!"

Even though Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha had worked out their issues over 250 years ago, Sesshoumaru still couldn't resist the urge to needle Inuyasha every chance he got. The hanyou was just too easy to rile, and being the born opportunist he was, Sesshoumaru never let one pass him by.

Raising an eyebrow, Sesshoumaru said, "Inuyasha, have you forgotten your last interaction with the miko?"

"That was 500 years ago; surely the wench has gotten over it by now." Clearly Inuyasha was not concerned.

"Use your brain you foolish half-breed. While it has been 500 years for you, it has not been that long for her." While they were unsure of exactly how long she had been back in the present era, they did know that it had not been 500 years. Seriously, sometimes he wondered what had prompted him to seek out the hanyou to repair their fractured relationship. While it was true that his half-brother had calmed somewhat over the years, he was still impulsive and tended to speak without thinking.

"Get out of my office, both of you." Sesshoumaru had reached the end of his patience with the two.

"Oi, you don't have to be an ass about it." He was silenced by the glare his brother was giving him. "Fine, but this conversation is not over."

"Of course it is not Inuyasha, but must we spend the next few decades arguing over the matter? You do realize that a human's life span is much shorter than our own. By the time you and Shippo can come to a mutual agreement, her life could very well be over." It was on that note that the much more subdued duo exited his office. They need not know that Sesshoumaru had no intention whatsoever of letting the miko slip through his fingers. Let the two idiots fight over it. He would make his own plans.

Kagome groggily made her way to her kitchen for her morning cup of coffee before starting her day. She had become a creature of habit. Coffee, shower, work, and then home, day after day it was the same thing. Her life had become a never ending cycle of monotony. She was stuck in a rut. As she sipped her coffee, she found her mind drifting back to the man she had practically ran over the day before. She still couldn't shake the feeling that she knew him. Thinking back on it, she realized that the man had reminded her of Sesshoumaru. She wasn't sure why because the man was obviously human. She hadn't felt any demonic aura in him, and he didn't bear any facial markings or other characteristics of Sesshoumaru. Maybe it was the silvery-blonde hair or the honey eyes.

'Snap out of it girl, silvery-blonde is not same as the moonlit color of Sesshoumaru's hair, and honey is not the sun kissed golden that both he and Inuyasha shared.' With a hefty sigh, she finished her coffee and headed for the shower.

An hour later she was sitting at the desk in the office picking imaginary fuzz balls off of her pink scrubs trying to ignore the nurses who were once again talking about Valentine's. 'It's still a few weeks away so give it a rest already.'

"So Kagome, have you met a hot guy yet to spend Valentine's Day with?" If anyone else had asked her that question, she would have probably bit their head off, but Yuki was one of the few nurses that she actually liked.

"No, and I'm beginning to think that I will be like the guy in that movie, _The 40-Year-Old Virgin," S\_she laughed. She found herself doing that a lot lately, always hiding her pain behind fake cheerfulness. "Seriously, Yuki, the last few dates I've been on have been horrible. Either they are just after sex, or they don't challenge me." 'Not to mention the fact that they aren't strong, handsome demons.' "I just haven't found a guy that I'm truly into."

"You know, Kagome, it wouldn't hurt to take one of them up on their offer. I think you could use a night of hot and steamy sex. What's the harm in having a little fun with a few Mr. Wrongs until you are able to find Mr. Right? At least that way you wouldn't be spending Valentine's Day alone. That guy down in billing keeps asking you out, and he is pretty hot. Maybe you should go out with him," Yuki said, giving Kagome a knowing look.

"You are probably right." Maybe she did need a wild night of mindless sex.

Sitting at her kitchen table, eating the sushi pack she had picked up on her way home, she thought about what Yuki had said. She had always imagined what her first time would be like. All candle light, romance, and passion with her lover whispering beautiful words in her ear. She was a romantic at heart and couldn't help but want it to be special and perfect. She wanted it to be making love, not something that would just be considered a quick fuck. Could she really let go of her dreams and values for a night of carnal desires? Could she even get turned on enough to enjoy it? It was hard to really get turned on by some ordinary guy after having been around such strong males for so many years. Besides, she wasn't really looking for a fuck buddy. She wanted something more, something special, not just a quick roll in the hay. She knew that her first time would be painful and most of the girls she had ever spoken with on the subject had always told her that their first time was less than spectacular. Disregarding what she had heard, she felt certain that with the right man it would be all she had ever dreamed it would be.

After a bit of contemplation she decided that she would make another lantern to release. She had always possessed a somewhat whimsical personality and still retained a childlike innocence. What would it hurt to make some extra wishes, and besides, she liked watching the lanterns drift lazily across the night sky. Firming her resolve she decided that she would release one every night until Valentine's Day in hopes of finding love.

Sesshoumaru stood by the huge windows in his office looking out over Tokyo, his mind once again on Kagome. After so many years of waiting he was finally closer than ever to making his own wishes come true. Deciding that he had been at the office long enough for the day, he turned to go when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. It was a paper lantern drifting gently across the sky towards the heavens. This was the second night in a row that he had seen one. Without a second thought, he turned from the window to grab his brief case and head home. Never knowing that it was a wish from the very miko he had been thinking of. One very lonely miko, who was longing to be loved.


	3. Chapter 3

Paper Lanterns Chapter 3

Disclaimer: No matter how badly I might wish it otherwise, I do not own Inuyasha or any of the Inuyasha characters.

A/N: Thank you so much to the amazing CritterWhisperer for doing the beta work for me. Anywho, here it is, I hope you enjoy!

"Kagome." Her name alone caused excitement to course through his body. It had taken Sesshoumaru many years to come to terms with the fact that he did indeed have feelings for her. How ironic that he would come to have such feelings for one of the very species he had so despised.

It had been hard for him to overcome his dislike of humans. When the humans had produced weapons capable of taking down even the strongest of demons, the youkai had been reduced to cowering before them. His once proud and noble race had been forced to go into hiding or face possible extinction, causing his hatred of them to grow. Over time the youkai had learned to adapt and conceal their heritage from the humans, allowing them to live and work amongst them. As the centuries passed, he had learned to tolerate them. While he still held no great love of humans, he could no longer say that he hated them either. He still considered most humans beneath him, but there were a few whom he found worthy of his approval, and the miko was one of them.

Now that he had found his miko, it was time to go about making her just that: "his."

~0~

'I should really stop watching these romance movies,'Kagome thought dejectedly. She loved watching them, but they always left her sad and depressed afterwards. Why couldn't she find love? Was it because her idea of a perfect man didn't exist? Was she standing in her own way, always holding back hoping for her dream guy. She totally blamed it on fairy tales.

'Stupid fairy tales, with their perfect men.' Honestly, why did society encourage little girls to dream about knights in shining armor and prince charming? Didn't they care that the little girls would grow up and be faced with the harsh reality that they had been lied to and that there wasn't a knight on a white steed waiting outside to whisk them away to a happily ever after? She seriously needed to get her head out of the clouds and stop waiting for the perfect man.

Maybe she should take Yuki's advice to get out more and take some chances. How was she supposed to meet anyone if she never went out? All she ever did was go to work. When she wasn't working, she stayed home. Maybe she should take Yuki up on her offer to go clubbing.

Part of her problem was that she had confidence issues. Inuyasha had really done a number on her self image. It wasn't that she was unattractive; she just didn't consider herself beautiful. Pretty, maybe, but not beautiful. She had a decent figure, small and petite with a flat stomach. She had shapely legs thanks to all the walking she had done while in the feudal era. Her breasts, while not overly large, were pert and round. Her hair was a deep black-blue that flowed down to her waist in gentle waves. She had high cheekbones and a pert nose, but perhaps her most stunning feature was her eyes. They were a deep blue similar to the color of the sky in autumn. Still, after constantly being told by the person you were in love with that you weren't attractive, it was hard to believe otherwise.

~0~

"Inuyasha, you know Sesshoumaru was right. I don't think that Kagome will have forgotten what happened between the two of you. You hurt her too many times. Maybe it should be me or Sesshoumaru who contacts her first."

"What the hell would you and that giant popsicle know about anything? Kagome always got over it before, so I don't know why this time would be any different. It doesn't matter what you and the ice prick think. I knew her the best. Besides, you were just a kit back then and wouldn't understand." What Shippo didn't realize was that he was truly sorry for what had happened between him and Kagome. He had waited over 500 years to tell her he was sorry, and he wasn't going to let them stand in his way. "Look, Shippo, I know I betrayed her, but I just want to apologize to her and try to make things right."

Shippo chuckled. Even after all this time, Inuyasha still tried to hide his true feelings behind gruff words and coarse actions. Some things never changed. He could tell that Inuyasha was serious by the pain shining in his eyes.

"Inuyasha, what if she is still angry with you? If you contact her first and she is still mad, she might tell you to leave her alone and never bother her again." For all he knew, Kagome might not want to have any contact with any of them. Kagome was never a fickle person, and he didn't think she would turn them away, but too many years of thinking of all the possible reunion scenarios had lead him to have doubts.

"I guess you're right. Maybe it would be better if you contacted her first. As long as it's you and not Sesshoumaru. I don't know what that bastard wants with her, but whatever it is, I'm sure I won't like it."

"I have to agree that it would be better if I met her first. After all, the last time she was around Sesshoumaru, they were only allies. Even that was shaky at best." Shippo knew what Sesshoumaru's intentions with Kagome were, but he would be damned if he would be the one to tell Inuyasha. Hell no! He would let Sesshoumaru tell Inuyasha himself, and he would just sit back, watch the fireworks, and try to keep them from killing each other.

~0~

"Come on, Kagome, a night out with the girls will do you some good. Who knows? Maybe you will meet some hot guy to take home," Yuki said, putting on her best puppy face.

"I don't know, Yuki; I'm really not looking for a one night stand. I want to meet someone special." She had to give Yuki points for the cute puppy face she was making. Unfortunately for Yuki, Kagome had long ago become immune to those. Shippo had always pulled that face whenever he wanted more candy.

Yuki rolled her eyes at her friend. "Seriously, Kagome, how are you ever going to meet anyone if you never go out? Do you think the perfect man is just going to drop out of the sky and sweep you off your feet?"

"I did have a handsome man sweep me off my feet," Kagome said with a giggle, "Actually it was more like I swept myself off my feet."

"Why haven't you told me about this? Come on, girl, spill already!" Yuki squealed.

Laughing Kagome said, "Sorry to disappoint you, but it's not what you think. I kind of ran into a guy the other day. He was handsome though, and what I meant by I swept myself off my feet was that I literally ran into him so hard that it knocked me on my butt."

"Did you talk to him and get his phone number? You know some couples do meet that way."

"Of course not, Yuki. You know I'm not the kind of girl who would just pick up some random stranger, no matter how cute I thought he was," Kagome huffed, shaking her head at her friend's foolish idea. She knew that the other woman meant well. The two had grown close in the time they had worked together and even went shopping on occasion. While Kagome hadn't fully opened up to Yuki about her desire for love, her friend did know that Kagome was lonely.

"Maybe you should be." Yuki laughed at the horrified look that crossed her friend's face. "I'm just kidding, Kagome. You really need to loosen up."

"Excuse me."

Both women looked up to see a delivery man standing there with a huge bouquet of mixed flowers. Kagome rolled her eyes and thought, 'Oh, great. It isn't even Valentine's yet, and it's starting already. I hope the girl that gets them has allergies.' She immediately felt bad for that last thought. 'Geez, when did I become such a bitch?'

"I'm looking for a Ms. Higurashi."

"Huh?" Her mind went completely blank. 'Me? Who would be sending me flowers?' Maybe the man was mistaken.

"I'm Ms. Higurashi. Are you sure you're looking for me?"

He smiled as he handed her the vase, "Yes, Miss, I'm sure. Please sign here."

Still in shock, she signed for the flowers and thanked the man. The bouquet was beautiful. There were roses, carnations, lilies, and tulips of all colors. It had to have cost a fortune. Who would send her such an expensive gift? For that matter, who would be sending her a gift at all?

'Well, only one way to find out,' she thought as she plucked the card from the blossoms.

It didn't seem to be a mistake. That was her name written on the card. She opened the tiny envelope and read the card.

_Meet me at The Lotus Blossom Teahouse on Saturday at noon. _

Yuki was practically quivering with excitement. She could barely restrain herself from jerking the card from Kagome's hand to see who had sent her friend flowers. "_Kagome_! I'm dying over here! Who are they from?"

"I don't know. They didn't sign the card." She handed the card to her friend as her mind tried to think of who could have sent such an invitation. She knew that the Lotus Blossom was one of the most exclusive teahouses in all of Tokyo, catering only to the wealthiest. Wracking her brain, she was positive that she didn't know anyone who fit into that category.

"Wow, the Lotus Blossom," Yuki exclaimed with a sharp whistle, "Way to go Kagome!" Then in a more serious tone asked, "So, are you going to go?" She could already tell by the look on Kagome's face that she was having doubts.

"Just for the record, I think you should go. Take a chance, Kagome. If nothing else, at least you'll get a once in a lifetime chance to eat at the Lotus Blossom."

Maybe it was time to take some chances. Staring down at the elegant script on the card with a small smile, she thought 'Who knows? Maybe something good will happen.'


	4. Chapter 4

Paper Lanterns Chapter 4

Disclaimer: No matter how badly I might wish it otherwise, I do not own Inuyasha or any of the Inuyasha characters.

A/N: Thank you so much to the amazing CritterWhisperer for doing the beta work for me.

Perched on her couch she glared at the tiny card in her hand as if willing it to reveal its secrets. She had bravely faced down demons whose only desire was to kill her, and yet here she was, agonizing over whether or not to meet an unknown person who had sent her flowers and invited her to lunch.

Could she work up the courage to go and face the unknown? She was no longer the courageous teenage girl who rushed headlong into situations. She was now cautious and less trusting. When had that happened? When had she lost sight of who she was? Who was she kidding; she knew exactly when and how it had happened.

During her time in the feudal era, and even before, she had always been so carefree and trusting. Never one to let fear hold her back, she had always jumped in with both feet and let the cards fall where they may. That had all changed when she fell in love with Inuyasha. She had chased after him like a puppy following its master, begging for love and attention, but only getting reprimands and insults. Yet still she followed, always hopeful that one day her loyalty and affection would be returned. What a fool she had been.

She had trusted Inuyasha so many times, and every time he would break that trust by leading her on and then going behind her back to be with Kikyo. Yet, like the naïve fool she was, she would forgive him and welcome him back with open arms. Always believing him when he said that he was sorry and wouldn't hurt her again. It was his final betrayal that had really shattered her heart.

Inuyasha had been her first love, and she had loved him with all that she was. She knew that he had held some affection for her, and maybe even loved her, but it was not that deep, all-encompassing love that she gave him. Still, she had been confident that she had enough love for the both of them and had been content to patiently wait for him to love her back. Sadly, that had never happened. Looking back, she realized that he never would have loved her the way she so desperately wanted him to.

While she was healing from the physical pain of her heartbreak, the mental effects were proving far more difficult to overcome. No longer open and trusting, she was now insecure and afraid that if she put herself out there, she would once again find heartache. She wasn't sure if she was ready to go through that again. She was barely recovering from the first one. No matter how badly she wanted to be loved, she was going to be extra careful with her heart. She was brought out of her contemplations by a knock on her door.

Leaving the chain in place, she opened the door and peered out through the opening. Standing before her was a very tall, very handsome man with long, dark red hair and emerald green eyes.

"Hello, can I help you?" she asked.

She looked exactly as he remembered her. The feeling of nostalgia that washed over him were so strong that it almost brought tears to his eyes.

Mentally shaking his head to clear his thoughts he asked, "May I come in?"

She eyed him warily, trying to decide whether or not she wanted to let this stranger into her apartment.

"Do I know you?" Something about his eyes made him look familiar.

Seeing her hesitation, he glanced around the hallway to make sure no one was around. He smiled and said, "Yes, you know me."

He dropped his disguise allowing his tail to show and adding a blue bow in his hair for good measure before saying, "Perhaps you might remember me like this."

"Sh.. Shippo?" Tears sprang to her eyes as she fumbled with the chain on the door before flinging it open and throwing herself into his arms, crying, "Shippo, I can't believe it's you. I never thought I'd see you again. I have missed you so much."

She wasn't sure how long they stood there holding one another and crying, but finally she came to her senses and dragged him into her apartment.

"Kagome," he finally managed to choke out, "I have waited so long to see you again." His voice cracked on each word. The wait had seemed like an eternity to him. He had only been a young kit when she had been ripped from his life, and he had once again been left an orphan. It felt like a dream come true to once again be in her arms.

"You're a lot smaller than I remember you being," Shippo said with a laugh. He had never realized just how tiny and petite she was. Of course, when you, yourself, were just a tiny little kid, everything seemed big.

"And you are a lot bigger than I remember you being," Kagome said, eyeing him up, "I don't think you'll be able to sit on my shoulder anymore." They both had to laugh at the mental image of him trying to sit on her shoulder as he had once done.

"I think you're right. Now you, on the other hand, would be able to sit on my shoulders." He laughed as she rolled her eyes at him.

"I was just about to cook some supper. Please tell me you have time to stay and eat with me." She put on her best puppy face.

"Now how could I say 'no' to a face like that?" He remembered all the times he had given her a similar face and realized why she always had such a hard time telling him "no."

"But I was thinking maybe I could take you out to eat. I want to spend time catching up with you, not making you cook."

"That sounds great, Shippo. There's a small diner right around the corner that has the most amazing hamburgers." With a happy smile, she grabbed her coat and headed out the door behind Shippo.

~0~

Inuyasha was chomping at the bit. Shippo was going to meet with Kagome tonight. He had only been gone for half an hour, and it already felt like a lifetime. It was all he could do to keep from following them. It had been so long since he had gazed into those big blue eyes and basked in the calming scent that was Kagome. It was his hope that Shippo could get Kagome to talk about the past and find out if she was still upset with him. Hell, who was he kidding? Of course she would still be upset with him. He was upset with himself.

He had hurt her repeatedly, and he knew it. It wasn't that he didn't love her because he did. It was just not the way that she had wanted him to. Now that he'd had over 500 years to think things over, he realized what a jerk he had been. The truth was that he had been so afraid of losing the first true friend he had ever had and being alone again that he was willing to use her love for him against her. There was a time that he had hoped that he would grow to love her the way she loved him. When that didn't happen, he chose the coward's approach. Instead of telling her how he felt, he had cruelly kept her hanging on to a thread of hope. He had handled things so badly. He could still remember the look in her eyes the last time he saw her. Inuyasha didn't know what hurt him the worse: The pain in her eyes or the fact that he had put it there.

Now that there was the possibility to make things right with her, he was bound and determined to do everything in his power to earn her forgiveness. He was positive that a simple "I'm sorry" wasn't going to be good enough this time. For now though, all he could do was wait. He had already waited over 500 years; surely he could make it a little while longer.

**A/N:** I couldn't resist using the puppy reference for the way Kagome described herself chasing after Inuyasha. No matter how many times you scold a puppy for chewing on your favorite house shoe, they almost immediately forgive you and come back wagging their tails and begging for attention.


	5. Chapter 5

Paper Lanterns Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** No matter how badly I might wish it otherwise, I do not own Inuyasha or any of the Inuyasha characters.

**A/N:** Thank you so much to the amazing CritterWhisperer for doing the beta work for me.

Shippo couldn't keep the smile off his face. Here he was, sitting in a cozy little diner and eating hamburgers with Kagome. This had to be one of the happiest days that he'd had in a very long time.

Inuyasha had wanted him to get Kagome to talk about him and the past, but he had decided that he wouldn't bring up the topic. He would answer any questions she asked, but he wouldn't be the one to dredge up bad memories.

"So, my son, what have you been doing all this time? Are you mated? Do I have any grandchildren?"

Waving his hands in front of him, he groaned, "Mom, please! I'm not ready to settle down yet. I'm still enjoying the life of a bachelor. Besides, for a youkai, I'm still young, so I'm not in any hurry."

Shaking her head, she laughed and asked, "What else have you been doing all this time?"

"The usual. I work and paint a little in my free time."

"What kind of work do you do? You always loved to draw and paint, so I had always assumed that you would grow up to be an artist."

"Nah, I just paint for fun. Actually I'm a VP for Taisho Industries. Until recently, I'd been based at the American branch, but now I've relocated back to Tokyo."

Gleaming with pride at her adoptive son's accomplishment, she said, "Taisho Industries is a pretty big company. I'm impressed." She didn't know much about the company, except that it was a leader in the development of computer software and technology.

Rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly he replied, "Yeah, well, I had an inside connection in the company, but I still had to work my butt off to get my position, though."

"An inside connection?" she grinned.

Fidgeting a little in his seat, he looked up at her to gauge her reaction and said, "Taisho Industries is Sesshoumaru's company."

"Sesshoumaru? As in Lord Sesshoumaru?" She managed to get out before opening and closing her mouth several times in an attempt to say more.

Shippo had to laugh at the look on her face. It wasn't often that he had seen Kagome at a loss for words. "He's actually not that bad to work for. You'd be surprised at how much he's changed. He's not the same demon you knew."

"I still can't believe that you work for Sesshoumaru," Kagome said, giving him an incredulous look. "How did you come to work for him?"

"He took me in after you left. He said, and I quote, 'The half-breed is incapable of teaching you to behave like a proper demon, so this Sesshoumaru has taken it upon himself to undertake your training, kit. This one will not have an untrained kitsune running free on my lands.' So I went to live with Sesshoumaru.

"He wasn't anything like I had expected he would be. I won't lie and say that it was all smooth sailing. He was very strict and always demanded I work hard, but he was always fair, and I gained a lot of respect for him over the years. So I guess it was only natural that I work for him when he started his company."

"Wow, Sesshoumaru took you in and raised you? It is so hard to believe that he would do something like that." True, she really didn't get to know him all that well during their time as allies, but she had always suspected that he was hiding a very different personality behind that stoic mask he always wore.

Still, it was hard to think of Sesshoumaru doing something so nice. But then again, maybe it wasn't such a stretch. He had taken in Rin, after all, and she was human. That thought lead to her next set of questions.

"What happened to Rin? Did she have a happy life? Did she marry? Have kids?" She couldn't help but wonder about Rin. She had grown quite fond of the little girl in the short time she had spent with her.

"Whoa, whoa, slow down, Kagome." With a sly smile, he continued, "That is a conversation for another day. I want to talk about you and how you have been."

So for the next hour, she told Shippo about what she had been doing since coming back to her own time.

Shippo couldn't help but be saddened by what he heard. From what she had said, it seemed like all she did was work and stay home. She had always been one to be surrounded by friends, but now it seemed as if she had closed herself off from the world. He would have asked what happened to the Kagome he knew, but he had a feeling that he already knew the answer. He was heartened by the fact that during their visit, he had seen little glimpses of the old Kagome, and he had a feeling that very soon those glimpses would become more frequent.

~0~

Humming to herself as she put the finishing touches on her nightly lantern, she thought back over her visit with Shippo.

To say that she had been surprised when he showed up at her doorstep would be an understatement. She had resigned herself to the fact that she would never see him again. The fact that she had only ever felt weak demonic auras in her time had contributed to her belief that none of the youkai had survived until her era. She had always believed that the auras she had felt were people who had diluted demonic blood in them from past ancestors who had mated with demons.

She knew that there were demons who were able to completely suppress their aura. Sesshoumaru had been proof of that. She had never been able to sense him unless he wanted his presence to be known, but on an average it was only the high level youkai who were capable of doing so.

When she asked Shippo why she hadn't sensed any strong auras, he told her it was in part because of the technology that Taisho Industries had developed. He had puffed his chest out with pride and told her that he had been the main contributor in the development of the technology. She had learned that most demons were able to use and maintain the glamour spells necessary to appear human. However, suppressing auras was a bit more difficult, so it had been necessary to develop ways of suppressing it. He told her that the technology was disguised in the form of watches and jewelry.

While there were very few true holy people left who could sense auras, and none with the levels of power that Kagome possessed, humans were often wary around demons. Their demonic auras often gave humans a prickly feeling. It made them uncomfortable because they were unable to sense the aura and understand the cause of their discomfort. So in order to better blend in, they kept their auras suppressed.

As happy as she had been to see Shippo, it made her wonder what had happened to everyone else. She had so many questions she wanted to ask. Did Sango and Miroku get married and live long, happy lives? Had anyone else lived until her era? It was obvious that Sesshoumaru was still around, but she wondered who else? Had Kouga and Ayame survived? What about Kirara? As painful as it was, she had even thought about Inuyasha. She had been tempted to ask, but decided that she wasn't quite ready to find out.

With a wistful sigh, she stepped out onto her balcony and released her lantern. Her meeting with Shippo had lifted her spirits and left her feeling more hopeful and optimistic than she had in some time. As she watched her lantern drifting on the breeze, she couldn't help but feel like maybe her life was about to change, and she was almost positive that it would be in a good way.

~0~

Inuyasha practically jumped him the minute he walked in the door, "Oi, what the hell took you so long? I've been waiting for hours."

Growling at him to back off, Shippo took his coat off and said, "Go make us some tea, and then we'll sit down and talk."

Sitting down at the bar and taking a deep breath, he waited for Inuyasha to make their tea. Inuyasha was going to blow his top when he found out that they hadn't talked about him.

Impatiently, Inuyasha slammed the tea down on the counter, sloshing the contents of the cups in the process. Then he began bombarding him with rapid fire questions, "So, what did she say? Is she still mad at me? Does she still look the same? Is she willing to meet with me?"

Steeling himself for the yelling he knew was coming, Shippo said, "We didn't talk about you or the past."

"What!" Inuyasha yelled, "That was the whole reason for you going to meet her!"

"No, Inuyasha, that was the reason you wanted me to go and meet her. I just wanted to see her."

Seriously, even though Inuyasha had matured some over the years, he could still be so selfish. He honestly seemed to think that the whole meeting was supposed to be about him.

"Honestly, Inuyasha, does it always have to be about you? Don't you care about her and what she's been doing since she's been out of our lives? We spent the whole time just catching up and learning what had been happening in each others lives since we last saw on another. She didn't bring the past up, and I didn't mention it. If she had asked, then I would have answered her questions, but she didn't."

Inuyasha closed his eyes and took a deep calming breath. He knew it was selfish of him to expect Shippo to immediately start pleading his case to Kagome, but he just couldn't help it. He had missed her so much and was just so anxious to be back in her life that he was willing to snap at the kami themselves if he thought it would help his cause.

Hanging his head, he let out a sigh and replied, "I'm sorry Shippo. I just want to see her so bad."

"I know, Inuyasha, I know."

"I told her I would call her and we would make plans to spend the day together on Sunday," Shippo gave him a hopeful smile and continued, "Maybe we'll talk about the past then."

They talked long into the night about Kagome and everything that Shippo had found out about her.

Inuyasha lay awake long into the night thinking about Kagome. From what Shippo had gathered, Kagome was different. She seemed guarded and reserved. He knew in his heart that he was the one who had made her that way. When sleep finally claimed him, he dreamed of happier times, of a time where he roamed free over flower covered fields with a beautiful friend laughing happily by his side.

~0~

She woke up on Saturday morning, nerves already frazzled. Today was the day that she was going to have lunch at one of the most exclusive restaurants in town with some unknown stranger. She still couldn't believe that she had decided to go. Of course, it still wasn't too late to back out. Yuki would kill her if she did, or worse yet, she would tell the guy in billing that Kagome wanted to take him up on his date offer. She could just imagine how that would turn out. The guy was annoying enough as it was. She was sure he would only get more persistent if he thought there was even the slightest chance of her accepting. 'Okay, Kagome, you can do this.'

"AARRRGGHH!" she screamed as she looked around her bedroom. What looked like the whole contents of her closet was strewn everywhere. She had no idea what to wear. She cursed herself for not taking Yuki up on her offer to scope out the place and get an idea of how to dress and then going shopping afterwards to find something appropriate. Most of the dresses she owned were unsuitable. She had some slutty party dresses she would never wear in a million years and had only purchased because she had let Yuki bully her into buying them. Then she had her collection of what Yuki referred to as her prude dresses, these being of the high collar, long hem variety. Racking her brain, she finally remembered a dress she had bought not long ago. Pulling it out of her closet, she looked at it and decided that it was perfect.

The dress was silk, and the color was a deep blue that brought out her eyes. It had a scooped neckline and three quarter sleeves that were adorned with silver sequins. The dress hugged her curves nicely, and the hem fell to just above her knees. Shrugging into the dress and giving herself a once-over in the mirror, she added some silver heels and earrings and deemed it acceptable. She then brushed her hair until the black tresses shone. Pulling most of it away from her face, she secured it with a delicate silver hair comb and left the rest to fall in gentle waves down her back. She would probably still be under-dressed, but she felt like she looked classy enough that maybe she wouldn't stand out too bad.

~0~

She exited her cab and walked past the valet stand and into the reception area of the Lotus Blossom. She couldn't help the gasp that escaped her as she took in the opulence. Rich silk tapestries and fine paintings covered the walls. The Maitre d' stood behind adesk that was covered in intricate carvings of lotus blossoms and koi. It was the most luxurious sight she had ever seen, and that was just in the reception area. She could only imagine what the actual dining room would look like.

'Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, I'm here. Now what do I do? I have no idea where to go or who to ask for.' She was almost in a panic and was about ready to bolt for the door when she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. Slowly Kagome turned around and found herself standing face to face with the man that she had run into on the sidewalk a few days before.

The man smiled at her and, in a deep baritone, said, "Hello, Kagome, I am glad you came."


	6. Chapter 6

Paper Lanterns Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** No matter how badly I might wish it otherwise, I do not own Inuyasha or any of the Inuyasha characters.

**A/N:** Thank you so much to the fabulous CritterWhisperer for doing the beta work for me.

The man smiled at her and in a deep baritone said, "Hello, Kagome, I am glad you came."

Kagome stood stock still as she stared at him. She was unable to form a coherent thought as he placed a hand at her back and gently guided her to the private dinning room he had reserved for them.

Dismissing the Maitre d' with a wave of his hand, he helped her into her chair and then elegantly seated himself across from her. As she stared at him, his looks began to change. Silvery-blonde hair became pure moonlit silver. Honey colored eyes morphed into a deep golden hue. Delicate magenta stripes appeared on his cheeks, and a midnight blue crescent moon appeared on his brow.

"Sesshoumaru?" she managed to utter before promptly fainting.

Slowly coming back to the world of the conscious, she was surprised to find concerned golden orbs staring down at her. From her scent he knew she wasn't ill, so he couldn't resist a little teasing.

"Miko, it would seem that you are so awed by my presence that it constantly knocks you off your feet."

'Please kill me now,' she thought, silently cursing the fact that miko powers were unable to render her invisible so that she could just sneak out. What the hell was wrong with her? She knew he was alive, so it wasn't like it was such a big shock at seeing him. Maybe it was just the fact that it had been a long and stressful week. She had been in so much turmoil over this lunch date that she barely had been able to function, and he was about the last person she expected to have invited her. Then there was the added shock of finding out that both he and Shippo were alive and well. Also, she had been so nervous about the lunch date that she had skipped breakfast.

Blushing furiously, she mumbled an embarrassed, "Sorry."

He responded with his trademark, "Hn," before he smiled and said, "You look quite lovely."

Lovely was an understatement. She was even more beautiful than he remembered. She had matured in the time that had passed. Still slim, her once slight girlish curves had been replaced by the more defined and luscious curves of womanhood. Her face, though slightly aged, still held a youthful appearance. She was breathtaking.

She picked up her wine glass and took two very unladylike gulps, trying to calm her nerves. Had it been her imagination, or had he actually looked at her with concern in his eyes? And what the hell? Had he just smiled AND complimented her? What the heck? Was this some sort of alternate universe in which Sesshoumaru was, dare she say, nice? Maybe she was dreaming, or maybe she hit her head when she fainted.

Shaking her head, she chalked it up to still being a little foggy from her fainting spell. The next big question was why? Why had he invited her? It's not like she was an old friend that he would want to catch up with. They had been allies, and even then he had barely tolerated her existence.

She still had to wonder what his motives were. She didn't possess anything that he could possibly want. Then again, he had always just taken what he wanted. He didn't invite you out for a nice lunch to talk it over. No, that was not the way he worked. She had to laugh at the mental image of Sesshoumaru inviting Inuyasha for a nice picnic lunch so that they could discuss how he would take Inuyasha's sword. Even though she never really knew Sesshoumaru, aside from his extreme dislike of humans, she did know that he was honorable.

With a little liquid courage starting to course through her veins, she got right to the point. "Why did you invite me here?"

He raised an eyebrow and replied, "I do not remember you being so dense, Miko. Obviously, I invited you here to have lunch."

"Well, excuse me, Mr. Obvious, but aside from our brief association as allies, your only reason for seeking out my presence had been to steal the Tetsusaiga from Inuyasha and then try to kill us."

"Yes, that was unfortunate. But I can assure you that now it would not be to my benefit to harm you." He wanted to laugh out loud at the thought. 'No, my dear Kagome, you will soon learn that killing you is the last thing on my mind.'

"That was centuries ago, and I am no longer the same demon you remember. My goals and desires have long since changed."

Eyeing him warily she said, "Yes, I suppose that time does change a person, but while it might have been centuries for you, it has only been two years for me."

He knew that it would take her some time to get used to the idea of them no longer being enemies. He would take his time and form a friendship with her before progressing towards his true goal. He had suspected that it was going to take time and patience to make her his, and it was fortunate that he possessed both.

"I have sought you out and invited you here today because you are part of my pack, and as Alpha, it is my duty to provide and care for the wellbeing of pack members."

"A member of your pack? Since when?" she asked with an incredulous look on her face.

When he had first started seeking her out, he had gone over all the possible reasons that he could think of for his doing so. He knew that she would question him on it, so he had been forced to come up with a plausible explanation. "Technically you were always a member of my pack due to the family relationship between Inuyasha and myself."

With a look of contemplation, she said, "I suppose I can accept that, but why now? You never showed any concern for us in the past."

"As I stated before, time has altered my views on many things." Then with a smirk he said, "I had always been under the impression that you were reasonably intelligent for a human; surely you can accept the fact that time can change one's opinions."

"Yes, well, I'm still reeling from the fact that you have gone from," she dropped her voice to mimic Sesshoumaru's deeper timbre, "'death to Inuyasha and his filthy human pack,' to," her voice raised in pitch as she attempted an imitation of a British monarch, "'let us have tea and crumpets while we discuss how I will care for you.'"

Giving in to his exasperation, he rolled his eyes and said, "I did not just change. Kagome, you have to keep in mind that while it has only been two years since you last saw me, it has been over 500 since I last saw you. As for my motives for wanting to care for the pack now, they are my own." Looking her directly in the eye he continued, "Just believe that my intentions are honorable and that you need never fear that I will harm you."

He did have a point; it had been centuries for him. Still, she couldn't help but feel a little bewildered. The only things she had ever seen in his eyes were anger and disgust. Now she saw neither. Kagome could only assume that he spoke the truth and that his intentions were genuine.

She was still milling it over when the servers entered with their lunch. Kagome studied him as the servers set their plates down and left. She was confused by the fact that Sesshoumaru hadn't bothered to conceal his demonic features.

As if he had read her mind, he said, "This particular teahouse is owned by a youkai associate of mine. All of the staff and most of the clientele are youkai, so in the private dining areas it is not necessary to conceal my heritage."

They exchanged small talk while they ate, and Kagome was surprised to find him such a pleasant and charming dining companion. He answered all the questions she asked and even asked her some of his own. Who knew the stoic Lord Sesshoumaru she remembered could be so talkative?

The meal had been scrumptious, and the dessert was absolutely divine. Kagome couldn't remember having ever eaten such a heavenly meal. She made sure to take her time and thoroughly enjoy it.

Sesshoumaru had been watching her throughout their meal. He was well pleased that she had shown so much enjoyment with the food he had ordered for her. From the look on her face as she had eaten, he suspected that she had never dined on such fine cuisine. He vowed to change that. When he finally made her his, he would introduce her to all the benefits that came with belonging to him.

After the last dish had been cleared away, he poured himself another glass of wine and stated, "As part of my pack, it is important for you to remain close, so you will come and work for me."

"What? Why? I have a job," she said, irritation clear on her face. '_You will work for me,_ he says. Huh, time might have changed him some, but he's still just as arrogant and demanding as ever.'

"I want you to come and work in the research and development lab at my Tokyo office. We are currently in need of a medical assistant to monitor our testers."

"How did you know that I am a medical assistant?" Now she was clearly suspicious of his true intentions.

"Miko, you honestly did not think that I could locate you without finding out some information about your life, did you? I do not remember you being so apprehensive." She had always been trusting, almost too trusting for her own good.

"As you said before, time and circumstances have a way of changing people," she replied as she shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

"Yes, I did say that." Mental images of Inuyasha came to the forefront of his mind, as he deduced that he was the "circumstances" that she was referring to. He was already prepared to take all the time needed to win her over, but that task was going to prove even more difficult, thanks to his idiot brother's past treatment of her. It was a good thing that he liked a challenge because he had a feeling that this one would be the most difficult and fulfilling one he had ever taken on. He had a feeling that the little miko would make the chase very satisfying. "It would be foolish for you to turn it down. You should feel honored that you have been deemed worthy of being one of the few humans offered the chance to work in the main office."

"One of the few humans?" she asked, choosing to ignore the whole "feel honored" and "deemed worthy" comment and letting her curiosity get the better of her.

"Only a very select few are allowed inside my main office. It is almost exclusively run by demons." He paused to take another sip of wine before continuing, "While I have many humans in my employ, they work in the other branches. The main branch houses all the executive offices, and it is also where all the demon-specific technology is produced.

It is in my company's best interest to keep such knowledge limited. I am offering you a very good job. Due to the sensitive nature of the work in the lab, you will be offered a lucrative salary, your working hours will be more reasonable, and you will be working with Shippo."

He could practically see the thoughts running through her head, the emotions on her face giving her away. That was one of the few things that hadn't changed about her. If he were a lesser demon, he might have felt bad about manipulating her to get what he wanted. But he was Lord Sesshoumaru, and if using her love of the kit would turn the odds in his favor, then so be it.

A born strategist, he wasn't above taking advantage of any and all weakness. Of course, unlike his enemies, he wouldn't use hers to cause her harm. He wanted her close to him, where he could keep an eye on her and subtly start the courting process.

"I like my job," she said in a less than convincing tone. Did she really like her current job enough to stay there? Honestly, she liked working with the patients and getting to see her friend. Other than that, was there really anything else she liked about it? It got stressful at times, and the hours were often long. Then there was the fact that many of the doctors were asses, and she couldn't stand most of the nurses. Would it be so bad to go and work for Sesshoumaru?

He raised an eyebrow and gave her a pointed look. It was clear that she didn't like her job as much as she wanted him to believe.

"Fine, I'll come by on Monday, but only to check it out. If I don't like what I see, then I'm going to keep my current job."

"You will not be turning it down," he said with an arrogant smirk.

"What makes you so sure? And for that matter, why do you want me to come and work for you? I can't help but feel that there is more to this." Skepticism was written plainly on her face.

With a small sigh he said, "As I said before, as your Alpha it is my duty to look after the wellbeing of all my pack members. I have the means and the capability of providing you with a better job. That falls into that category of caring for my pack. I can assure you that I only have your best interest in mind. I would never dishonor myself by tricking you or lying to you; it is beneath me. Any other reasons I might have are strictly my own."

He watched her closely as she processed the information he had given her. 'Fear not, little miko. Soon you will learn exactly what my motives are.'

The look in his eyes left her with a peculiar feeling. It was a strange mixture of excitement and foreboding. Giving herself a mental shake to clear her mind, she changed the subject.

"I saw Shippo last night."

He chuckled at her blatant change of topic. "Yes, I was aware that you met with the kit."

As she was opening her mouth to reply, his cell phone rang. He picked it up with a look that promised death to the person on the line and growled out, "Taisho."

Tuning out what was being said, Kagome opted to study him. It was obvious that the years had changed more than his personality. He seemed more expressive, and there was a softer look in his eyes. Shippo had told her that Sesshoumaru had changed, but she hadn't fully believed him. He was just so different that it was hard to wrap her head around the fact that he was so… personable.

"I apologize, but we will have to cut our lunch date short," he explained with a low growl, "It seems some idiot at one of my branches has crashed the computer system, and I am needed at the office."

"It's alright. I understand." She smiled. "Thank you for lunch."

"Come, I will escort you home."

He ushered her outside and into a waiting limo. Once they were seated, she looked at him shyly and said, "Thank you for the flowers. They were beautiful. I meant to thank you earlier, but I guess with all the shock of seeing you, I forgot."

"I am glad they were to your liking."

When they arrived at her apartment complex, he walked her to her apartment. He waited as she unlocked her door and then said, "I will have Shippo pick you up and bring you to the office Monday morning. Be ready at nine."

Before turning to leave, he handed her a business card with his information on it. "On the back is my private cell number. Call me if you need anything."

~0~

"Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap," she chanted as she paced back and forth in her living room. Sesshoumaru had dropped her off an hour ago, and she still couldn't believe that she had just had lunch with him. Sesshoumaru had been about the last person in the world that she had expected to see. She was sure that she had to be dreaming because there was no way that she'd just had a pleasant lunch with Inuyasha's scary older brother. Even more unbelievable was the fact that he had smiled, laughed, and even complimented her. Yep, she was either dreaming or crazy, and she was starting to lean towards crazy.

Not only had he been charming and polite, he had offered her a job. She still wasn't sure if she totally bought into the whole "taking care of my pack" bit. Maybe she would ask Shippo about it. They had made plans to spend the next day together.

What she needed right now was some good, solid advice, so she decided to go and visit her mother. After a quick phone call to make sure her mom was home, she changed her clothes and headed for the bus stop.

~0~

"Hello, honey," Mayu Higurashi said as she greeted her daughter with a huge smile and a hug.

"Hi, Mom." Kagome returned her mother's hug and sat down at the table.

Setting two cups of tea down, Mayu looked at her daughter and said, "Okay, spill."

Kagome giggled; her mother knew her so well.

Kagome told her mother everything that had happened that week, beginning with the flowers she had received and ending with the job offer that Sesshoumaru had made.

Mayu listened to her daughter patiently before saying, "Kagome, you have been unhappy since you returned from your adventures in the feudal era. I know you think that you have hidden it well and that I haven't noticed, but I have. Kagome, I can't tell you what to do. I can only listen and try to offer you guidance. This is a decision that you will have to make on your own."

"I know, Mom, but I really want to know what you think."

"I think that you should at least go and see what he is offering you. Who knows? A change might do you good."

Her mother was right. She had been unhappy for the past two years, and she had already come to the conclusion that she would never be able to lead a normal life. Maybe it was time she interconnected her life with demons once again. At least they accepted her as she was, and she had never felt the need to "try" and fit in with them.

Several hours and many cups of tea later, Kagome left her childhood home, feeling light-hearted and excited. The talk with her mom had made her feel better about her decision to check out Sesshoumaru's job offer.

Mayu Higurashi watched as her daughter left the shrine. She was hopeful that Kagome's friends from the past would breathe some new life back into her daughter.

~0~

Standing on her balcony, she released her lantern with her standard prayer. She was still thinking over her conversation with her mother. Maybe this was just the change she needed to get out of the rut she was in. If she took this job and became more content in her life, then maybe, just maybe, love would soon follow.


	7. Chapter 7

Paper Lanterns Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** No matter how badly I might wish it otherwise, I do not own Inuyasha or any of the Inuyasha characters.

**A/N:** Thank you so much to the fabulous CritterWhisperer for doing the beta work for me. Sesshoumaru will be in the next chapter I promise ;p

Kagome had insisted on cooking breakfast for Shippo, so she had a huge meal prepared for him when he arrived. They talked about their plans for the day as they ate, and Kagome asked Shippo questions about the job that Sesshoumaru had offered her.

Shippo knew that Sesshoumaru had made plans to meet with her the day before, but he didn't know that he was going to offer her a job. He was ecstatic, to say the least, and immediately started trying to talk her into it.

They didn't really have any set schedule for the day, so they decided to visit her family. Her mother had heard so much about Shippo that she wanted to meet the one whom her daughter thought of as a son.

Her mother was instantly taken with the charming kitsune. Shippo had hugged her tightly when she told Kagome to bring her grandson to visit again soon. Souta was just as easily won over when Shippo had invited him over to play some of the newest video games. Grandpa had been a little harder, but after the initial sutra throwing and "demon be gone" he had eventually come around.

Kagome's mother had insisted they stay for lunch. Shippo remarked that he could get spoiled to home cooked meals. As a bachelor, it was rare that he got a home-cooked meal that wasn't instant ramen or something equally easy to prepare. Kagome and her mother had both laughed at him, and Kagome told him that he could come and eat dinner with her anytime he wanted.

"Let's go to my apartment now," Shippo said, "I'd like to show you some of the paintings I've done."

~0~

Shippo's home was three times the size of her modest apartment. It was a spacious three bedroom, three bath apartment that boasted a large kitchen/dining area with a patio door leading out to an equally large balcony. It was all tastefully decorated in shades of hunter green, burgundy, and cream. She would have thought that Shippo would have been more flamboyant.

Shippo had turned one of the spare bedrooms into an art studio. Paintings lined the walls of the room. Some were of landscapes and villages, while others were of buildings he had seen during his travels. She cried when he showed her the painting of Sango, Miroku, and Kirara. She had yet to ask about their lives, but from the faces smiling back at her from the canvas, she was sure that they had been happy. She couldn't help the pang of longing she felt as she stared into the faces of her friends.

"I have many more in storage that I will show you sometime. These are just a few of my favorites," he said with a grin.

There was a painting of Kaede standing outside her hut and a few of the God tree. Shippo had even had some of Sesshoumaru, Rin, Jaken, and Ah-Uhn. However, there was one person that was conspicuously absent from all the paintings: Inuyasha. They hadn't talked about him, yet. She didn't know why he didn't appear in any of the paintings, and she didn't ask.

Then he led her to the ones that he was most proud of. Images of her graced a whole wall. Done from his memories, they depicted her in various settings, from sitting in a field of wildflowers, to gazing at the stars, to sitting by the well. One even had her holding a smaller version of him. They were beautiful. She hugged him tightly and wept. She wept for her friends and for the reminder of times past.

They finally went back to the kitchen to have some tea.

He sat down at the table across from her and took a deep breath to help mentally prepare himself for the conversation that he was about to initiate.

"Kagome?"

She could tell by the tone of his voice that he was about to start a conversation that she wasn't sure she was ready to hear.

"You know that I love you and I wouldn't do anything to purposely to hurt you," he hesitated before continuing, "But there's something I'd like to talk about."

Kagome had an idea about where he was going with this and steeled herself for whatever it was he was about to say.

When she nodded, he very gently said, "It's about Inuyasha."

He really hadn't wanted to broach the subject with her so soon, but if she was going to come and work at Taisho Industries, then she would be seeing him on a regular basis. There was also the fact that Inuyasha had been hounding him constantly to meet with her.

"I knew that I wouldn't be able to avoid that topic forever," she replied with a sad smile. "It's okay, Shippo. I won't lie; I'm not completely over the pain he caused me, but I think I can handle talking about him. Even though he hurt me, I'd still like to hear about his life."

"He wants to see you." Shippo waited with baited breath as a myriad of emotions crossed her face: Shock, hurt, anger, and even a little bit of happiness.

To say that she was shocked would have been an understatement. She knew that demons had very long life spans, but she didn't think that hanyous lived as long.

"He, he wants to see me?" Her heart was pounding in her chest as she tried to register the exact emotion that statement caused. It took her several very long minutes before she was finally able to speak. "I don't know, Shippo."

"Kagome, I'm sorry for bringing this up. I didn't intend on talking about him until you brought it up, but if you come and work with us, you will be seeing him." Shippo gave her a few minutes before he continued, still watching her closely, "I thought it would be best if we talked about it now. I didn't want it to be a huge shock if you run into him tomorrow. All he wants to do is talk."

Shippo wasn't going to go into full detail about what Inuyasha wanted to talk about. He felt like Inuyasha was the one who made the mess; he could be the one to clean it up.

He wanted to talk to her? She wasn't sure if there was anything that he had to say that she wanted to hear. Her rational, less emotional side was trying to convince her that it would be a good idea to meet him. It would help to further the healing process, and she would finally be able to fully move on with her life. But the emotional side was a little louder and was flat-out screaming, "No way in hell!"

'What do I do?' she thought. 'Damn, damn, and double damn.' She wasn't sure she was ready for this, but if they were going to have a confrontation, it would be better to do it in private. She also knew that if she put it off, she would keep putting it off.

"Okay, but I want it to be today. I would rather get it over with."

Shippo was a little surprised. He didn't expect her to agree so readily. "Alright, if you are sure. I'll call Inuyasha and tell him. Where would you like to meet him?"

With a pleading look she said, "If it's okay with you, can we do it here? I don't want to have this conversation in public, and I'd like you to be with me. I might need the emotional support." She felt comfortable with Shippo, even after all this time, and wanted him with her. She didn't want to do this alone.

"Inuyasha lives in this apartment building, so it won't take him long to get here. Are you sure you're ready for this?" he asked, concern clear in his voice.

"No, but let's get this over with before I change my mind."

She didn't sound very convincing, but he gave her a small smile and said, "I'll go call him."

After making his call, he came back into the kitchen and started to prepare another pot of tea. "Don't worry, Kagome. If he upsets you, I have no problem kicking his ass out."

"Thanks, Shippo."

Within fifteen minutes, there was a knock at the door. She felt like her heart was going to pound out of her chest at the realization that she was about to come face to face with the man who had crushed her heart.

Shippo bent down and gave her a reassuring hug before going to answer the door. She didn't hear everything that was said, but she did hear Shippo growl out, "If you hurt her, Inuyasha, I swear that I will kick your ass, and I can promise you that I will be the least of your problems."

As she waited for them to come to the kitchen, she started wondering if this had been such a good idea. Fear and doubt were threatening to overcome her. It was too late to change her mind; he was here. Her only chance for escape was through the door leading to the balcony. Since they were six floors up, that wasn't an option.

'I can do this, I can do this,' she chanted to herself as she waited for them to join her. 'I can do this, and I won't cry. I've shed enough tears over him, and I won't let him see me cry.' Yeah, right. Who was she trying to kid?

She looked up and gasped as they walked into the room. There he was, "Inuyasha."

"Hello, Kagome," he said hesitantly. Damn she was just as beautiful as he remembered. She had hardly changed. He sat down at the table and stared at her. He seemed to be struggling with what he wanted to say to her.

He was going to start this conversation. She had always been the one to breach the gap in the past, but this time he was on his own. She wouldn't help him through it.

"Kagome, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all the times I hurt you."

Kagome was flabbergasted. She never thought she would hear those words from him.

"I want to try and explain what I did," Inuyasha began, "Kikyo, well, Kikyo, she was," She could tell he was still struggling with his words. "When I protected her from Naraku, I thought I was doing the right thing. She was my first love, and she was special to me. I couldn't just let her be killed by him again."

That was as far as he got before she cut him off, years of pain and anger coursing through her.

She shot up from her chair, knocking it to the floor, and said angrily. "Kikyo? That's what you want to talk about after all this time? Well, I can tell you that I've heard enough about Kikyo from you to last a lifetime."

He could tell that he was already getting off to a wrong start. He had thought about what he wanted to say so many times, and now that he was finally getting the chance, he was saying all the wrong things.

"She was already dead, Inuyasha, and you chose to protect her anyway!" she spat out at him. "Sesshoumaru was the one who saved me. Do you know how much it hurt to know that an ally who never claimed to have any feelings for me was the one who was there for me when I needed saving, instead of a friend who claimed to love me?"

Tears were already beginning to fill her eyes, but she was determined not to let them fall. She had a feeling that those attempts would be in vain.

"I know that you and Kikyo were both betrayed by Naraku, and believe me, I know what it feels like to be betrayed," her face hardened as she continued, "I also know what it feels like to try to get over the pain of having your heart broken. I know that you said that you only wanted to try and save her because of some misplaced guilt over her death, but I don't believe that. I think that you were still in love with her and were using that excuse to justify your actions to me."

Inuyasha flinched at the pain and anger in Kagome's voice, his ears flattening to his head. For once he remained silent.

"I'm alive, Inuyasha, and you still chose a dead woman. A dead woman, Inuyasha, a woman who wanted you to change before she would fully accept you. I never asked you to change who or what you were, and I never would have. I loved you and accepted you, all of you. It never mattered to me that you were a hanyou. I would have given up everything for you, and you didn't care."

Traitor tears were beginning to course down her cheeks.

"You were so caught up in the past and what might have been that you failed to see what was right in front of you." Kagome was practically screaming by this point.

She had always put Inuyasha's feelings before her own and held her tongue even when it would have been so easy to hurt him with her words, but not this time. This time she would say those words, his feelings be damned. For once, she was going to put her own feelings and needs first. She needed this to finish healing from all of the pain he had caused her. Tears were streaming down her face in earnest now, and her voice was cracking as she fought for control.

Taking several shaky breaths, she calmed herself down.

"If you think that you can just waltz back into my life and pick up where we left off, well, you are sadly mistaken. I'm no longer the same girl I was. I was hurt in all this, too. This time you will have to earn my forgiveness because it is the one thing that I will no longer give you for free," she said scathingly, angry once more.

She knew that she had gotten to him because she could see tears swimming in his eyes.

"I'm willing to give you a chance to earn my forgiveness, but it won't be today." She turned from him then, her hands coming up to cover her face. Her emotions were in such turmoil that she couldn't handle anymore.

Shippo rushed to embrace her and held her as sobs racked her body. Gently smoothing her hair and rubbing her back as he attempted to soothe her.

Inuyasha stood up and said, "Kagome, I truly am sorry, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. I know that I didn't start this conversation out right. I've always been bad with words. Everything you said was true. What you didn't know was that I wanted to love you the way you wanted me to, but I couldn't. I was just so afraid of losing you that I encouraged you to believe that we had a future together. I was afraid of being alone again. I do love you, but as a friend; I always have," he said as a couple of tears leaked from his eyes.

"I want to earn your forgiveness, and I swear that I will do everything I can to prove it to you," he said sadly before turning and leaving.

After she had cried herself out, Shippo suggested that she stay the night with him. She agreed, and they drove back to her apartment for her to get an overnight bag.

She wasn't as devastated as Shippo seemed to think she was. Sure, she was hurting, but surprisingly not as bad as she had assumed she would be. Maybe getting her feelings out in the open really was a good thing. She would give Inuyasha his chance to prove to her that he was sorry, but he would have to take it slow. Baby steps; she wasn't ready to jump back into a full-on friendship with him.

Unwilling to break with her tradition, she gathered her lantern and stepped out onto Shippo's balcony. She had just lit the little candle and closed her eyes to make her wish when Shippo joined her on the balcony. He stood there silently, just watching her. After she had released it, he walked over to the railing to stand beside her. They stood there for several minutes in silence as they watched the lantern float upwards.

"What was that for, Kagome?"

She laughed nervously before sheepishly replying, "It's just something silly that I've been doing since I was a little girl."

Thankfully, he didn't ask any more questions.

As she lay in bed, her mind kept drifting back to her conversation with Inuyasha. Well, she supposed it couldn't really be called a conversation. It was more her yelling at Inuyasha and he painfully listening. It felt refreshing to finally get it all off her chest. Now maybe she could put it all behind her and get on with her life. Right now, she had more important things to worry about, like the job offer from Sesshoumaru.

In his art room, Shippo started painting. He had been so inspired by the look on Kagome's face as she held her lantern that he just had to put it to canvas. It was a good thing that demons didn't require as much sleep as humans. Kagome had always been his biggest inspiration, and he had a feeling that he was going to be spending a lot more time at his hobby than he had in many years.

~0~

Two floors down, Inuyasha fingered the beads around his neck and thought about everything Kagome had said. Everything she said had been true. At the time, he had still been in love with Kikyo. The Kikyo that Urasue had brought back was nothing more than a golem that had Kikyo's face and whose only desire was revenge for a betrayal that he didn't even commit. And he had almost gotten Kagome killed because of it.

How was he ever going to make that up to her? He didn't even know where to begin. Right now, all he knew was that Kagome had given him something that he had not had in years: Hope.


	8. Chapter 8

Paper Lanterns Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** No matter how badly I might wish it otherwise, I do not own Inuyasha or any of the Inuyasha characters.

**A/N:** I'm back. I've been under the weather. What I thought was a nasty cold turned out to be a little more, but after two rounds of antibiotics and a couple of shots I'm finally almost back to normal. (Or at least as normal as I ever was :p) Thank you so much to the awesome Critter for doing the beta work for me.

Beep, beep, beep. With a growl, she reached over and turned the alarm off. That had to be one of the most irritating sounds in the whole world. Uttering a few curses, she got out of bed, slid a robe on, and staggered to the kitchen to search out some coffee.

Still on auto-pilot, she let out a screech when Shippo cheerfully said, "Good morning, Mom."

"Dammit, Shippo! Don't sneak up on me like that," she snapped, giving him a glare that could rival that of Sesshoumaru's.

"Sorry. I guess I forgot that you aren't a morning person," he said, holding his hands up in an "I surrender" motion. He had seen that look many times in the past, and it was still just as scary as he remembered.

She let out a long, hefty sigh and, in an apologetic tone, said, "I'm sorry, Shippo. I'm a bear until I've got at least one cup of coffee in me."

"It's okay, Kagome," he replied with a huge grin before asking, "Are you hungry?"

"Not yet. Let me get woke up first," she grumbled. She continued to fix her coffee all the while muttering, "Damn happy morning people."

Shippo laughed and headed for the living room to give her some space. He could hear her in the kitchen still grousing about morning people not leaving her alone.

~0~

The moment Kagome set foot into Sesshoumaru's sparsely decorated office, she was immediately on edge. She didn't know if it was from her own nerves or the fact that the office looked so uninviting. Probably a little of both. She could only assume that it was for intimidation purposes; perhaps to make a business rival or unruly employee feel uncomfortable the minute they walked in? Either way, she suppressed the shiver that threatened to run down her spine.

"Hello, Miko, I am glad to see that you have thus far managed to remain on your feet and conscious," Sesshoumaru smirked at her and then turned and nodded a greeting to Shippo.

Kagome glared at him before taking a seat in front of his desk. She sent Shippo a glare for good measure just to keep him from asking.

"Have you given any consideration to the offer I made you on Saturday?" Sesshoumaru decided to skip the small talk and get right down to business. The sooner he could start gaining her cooperation the better.

"I've thought about it, and Shippo and I have talked about it, but I'd like more details before I just up and quit my job." She and Shippo had talked in length about it, and she had already made up her mind to accept the offer. All that was really left to do was to hammer out all the details.

He smirked, pleased that she had at least decided to listen to what he had to offer.

"As I stated before, you will be working in the research lab, assisting the doctor monitoring our test subjects. Some youkai react to the glamour spells we produce, so we thoroughly test them before mass marketing them."

"Yes, they do." Shippo nodded his head in agreement and chuckled. He proceeded to explain to her that the reactions were similar to ones that humans get when they are allergic to something. "Some have even had their skin change colors." Shippo laughed as he remembered the site of Inuyasha's ears a bright red that rivaled that of his fire rat robes.

Sesshoumaru let out a chuckle of his own, knowing exactly what Shippo was referring to. It had taken all his hard won control to keep from laughing every time he saw Inuyasha. One of the new glamour spells had reacted badly, causing the hanyou's ears to turn a very vibrant fire engine red. It had taken weeks for it to wear off, and the incident had earned the hanyou the nickname "red dog.".

~0~

Kagome couldn't help but feel like she had just been tag teamed. By the time she walked out of Sesshoumaru's office, she had not only agreed to come and work for him, but had also agreed to move in with Shippo temporarily until "more suitable accommodations" could be found. According to Sesshoumaru, her current apartment complex offered inadequate security.

Where had things gone so wrong? True, she had already decided that she was probably going to take the job, but still . . . she hadn't meant to agree so readily, and she damn sure hadn't meant to agree to move. True, she had been lonely since moving out on her own, but she hadn't considered giving up her independence. Sending a slight glare Sesshoumaru's way, she thought to herself, 'that man could charm a fish out of water,' and then with a giggle, 'or a Kagome out of her apartment.'

The whole lab had been very surprised when their boss, Shippo, and the owner of the company had walked in, escorting a very beautiful little human female. Not just any human at that, a miko. The gesture spoke volumes to the males that worked in the lab. The owner of Taisho Inc. had never before conducted a personalized tour for an employee. Apparently this little female was somehow important, and from the glares he was giving, she was also off limits.

Shippo had further surprised them by proudly introducing her as his mother.

A very handsome demon greeted them as they stepped into the patient area. He was tall and muscular with long black hair and warm brown eyes. From the white lab coat and stethoscope around his neck, she assumed he must be the doctor. This was confirmed when Shippo introduced him.

"Dr. Sasaki, meet my mother, Kagome. She is your new medical assistant," Shippo said with a smile.

"It is very nice to meet you, Dr. Sasaki," Kagome said with a small bow.

"Please call me Yasuo," he said as he took his time appraising her. Kagome fidgeted and blushed as the handsome demon checked her out.

Sesshoumaru scented the arousal on the man and let out a low menacing growl at the way the doctor was eyeing his female. In all of his careful planning, he hadn't counted on this. Sasaki had never been attracted to any of the other beautiful assistants he had had over the decades, so Sesshoumaru hadn't been expecting him to be attracted to Kagome. Of course, he should have known better. From what he remembered, she had always attracted male youkai like moths to a flame. Perhaps he should consider replacing the unmated doctor with an older, mated one. He would keep a close eye on the doctor, and if he refused to heed his warning to keep the relationship with Kagome on a strictly professional basis, then the young doctor would find himself out of a job.

At the growl, Sasaki turned his attention from Kagome to Sesshoumaru, cowering somewhat at the deadly glare the powerful daiyoukai was giving him.

Shippo, who had been watching the exchange, had to choke back the snicker that threatened to bubble over. He had a feeling that Sesshoumaru was going to have his hands full keeping all the hopeful males away from Kagome. It looked like things were going to get more interesting, and he was looking forward to seeing how things played out.

Sesshoumaru was beginning to wonder if it had been such a wise idea to bring Kagome in to work for him, after all. How would he be able to concentrate and get any work done if he was constantly worried about fending off other males? He might have to move a lot faster than he planned. He had waited too long for this female to let some unworthy male move in on her. Perhaps he could talk her into letting him mark her as pack. It wouldn't completely solve the problem, but it would cut down the number of youkai who would try to woo her. If she bore his mark then that would deter the lesser youkai from hitting on her. He had a week before she started working for him, so that would give him ample time to come up with a way to convince her to let him mark her as pack.

Unaware of the stare-down going on between the doctor and Sesshoumaru, Kagome looked around her primary work area. It was set up like a standard doctor's office. There were several patient rooms, all equipped with standard medical supplies. Shippo told her that in addition to monitoring their test subjects, the area also served as an infirmary of sorts. Like their human counterparts, there were a few illnesses that affected demons, and she would be helping to treat them, as well as any humans that came to them for treatment.

They wrapped up the tour in what was now her new office.

"I took the liberty of ordering your office furniture," Sesshoumaru said as he guided her into the room, "You may choose your own if it displeases you."

'Displeases me?' she thought. It wasn't like she had ever had an office before, so how could she be displeased? In fact, she was still unsure as to why she needed one now. When she had asked, Sesshoumaru had just given her a patronizing look and stepped back for her to have a better look at her office.

"Wait. You didn't even know that I would agree, so why did you already order the furniture?" she asked expectantly, "And why do I even need an office?"

"Hn," he replied with a knowing smirk.

She gave a frustrated huff, knowing that she wouldn't be getting a straight answer from him, and looked around the office. Two high-back leather chairs sat in front of a wrap-around style oak desk with matching filing cabinets sitting beside it. A state-of-the-art computer and printer system graced the top of the desk. She walked behind the desk and sat down in the comfy office chair, fighting the urge to spin around madly while giggling like a lunatic.

Large windows lined one whole wall and provided a beautiful view of the city. She could already see that she would have to find some sort of shelving so that she could bring in a few plants. There was a closet that was filled with every office supply imaginable and a small refrigerator sitting in the bottom, filled with an assortment of colas and bottled waters. It seemed as though Sesshoumaru had thought of everything.

"Thank you, Sesshoumaru. It's perfect," Kagome said with a smile. She would just add a few house plants and some of Shippo's paintings, and then the space would truly be hers.

"Come, let us have lunch," Sesshoumaru said with a tone that brooked no argument.

~0~

After a pleasant lunch with Sesshoumaru, Shippo had driven Kagome back to her apartment so that she could begin to pack. She really didn't have that many possessions, so it wouldn't take her very long to get everything ready to move. What furniture she owned could be moved to one of the storage buildings on the shrine.

Sesshoumaru had promised a moving truck for the weekend, so all she would need to do was pack up her clothes and any personal belongings that she didn't want in storage.

Placing the last few items from her dresser into the suitcase, she fastened the latches and called for Shippo to carry it to the car for her.

"I'm ready to go, Shippo."

"You got everything, Kagome?" Shippo asked, eyeing the four suitcases stacked neatly by the door.

"Yep. I think that's everything, and if it isn't, then we can always come back."

Laughing, Shippo picked up all four suitcases and headed for the door.

~0~

Sesshoumaru couldn't believe he had gotten his way so easily. He had fully expected Kagome to fight him at every turn. It wasn't that he doubted his own persuasiveness; it was just that he knew how stubborn the girl could be.

He had gotten what he wanted, so now wasn't the time to question it. Now was the time to start phase two of his plans. He called his assistant and gave him instructions to order some fresh flowers and a couple of large plants to be delivered to Kagome's office on Monday morning when she started work.

He would have to go slow with her, which was something he wasn't used to doing. He had always just taken what he wanted, consequences be damned. That tactic wouldn't work this time, or at least not to his benefit. He wanted her to be with him because she loved him and wanted to be with him, not because he forced her to. No, he couldn't afford any mistakes. Kagome was to be the most important acquisition that he had ever made in his life.

He allowed a small smile to grace his features as a sense of anticipation surged through him at the knowledge that he was closer than ever to finally having everything he ever wanted.

~0~

Sesshoumaru had given her the rest of the week to get moved in and get things wrapped up with her soon-to-be former employer. Luckily, they decided not to make her work out a notice, so that left her with a free week. It had been so long since she had taken any time off from work, so she decided she would take advantage of it.

She was still puzzled with Sesshoumaru's behavior. Why was he doing all of this for her? He had told her that she was part of his pack, but she thought there had to be more to it than just that. Maybe it was because he had practically adopted Shippo, and since she was his mother, Sesshoumaru wanted to adopt her too. With a huff, she gave up on trying to figure him out. He had always been a mystery to her, and she didn't see that changing anytime soon.

Kagome absently started to prepare supper for Shippo and herself as she planned out her week. Tomorrow she would go shopping for some new clothes and maybe she would get some new bedding and such for her new room.

That night as she released her lantern, she felt more optimistic than she had in some time. She was once again surrounding herself with demons, and she felt more alive than she had since she had come back from the Feudal era. She just knew that this would be the start of something good. Yes, she still wished for love, but for the first time in a long time, she didn't feel so lonely.


	9. Chapter 9

Paper Lanterns Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** No matter how badly I might wish it otherwise, I do not own Inuyasha or any of the Inuyasha characters.

**Attention**: I'm increasing the rating to MA starting with this chapter. I'm very sorry for this. I have tried very hard to keep it M rated, but apparently my mind is determined to corrupt everything I write. Again my apologizes.

**A/N**: Sorry it has taken me so long to churn out another chapter and sorry that it is so short. Life has not been kind to me the past few months. Add to that the fact that my stupid muse has been MIA. Hopefully it won't take so long next time. A special thanks to 1CarinoInu for motivating and encouraging me to try and get this story going again. Also thank you so much Critter for doing the beta work!

_~~~PL~~~_

_He could hardly believe it. They were in his office, and Kagome was straddling his lap with her back pressed tightly against his chest. The thought of getting caught only added to his excitement. He nuzzled at her neck, and she readily tilted her head to give him better access. He inhaled deeply of her scent. It reminded him of the smell of the air before a spring thunderstorm, fresh and clean with a hint of rain and the tingling charge of electricity and power; such an intoxicating scent. He growled lustily as he nibbled at her neck and licked at the bit of collar bone and shoulder that her shirt teasingly revealed. She moaned for him as he suckled her tender flesh and gently ran a fang along the junction between her neck and shoulder. The urge to mark her was strong._

_Sesshoumaru's hands were not idle as his mouth paid homage to her neck. An arm around her slender waist held her tightly against him. Distracting her with a gentle nip to her neck, he allowed the hand that had been resting on her knee to slide and caress its way up her leg. He teased his fingers under the hem of her skirt, which had ridden up to reveal a good amount of her creamy thigh. He could feel the heat radiating from her as his hand drew closer to its destination. Encouraged by her small moans and whimpers, he carefully ran a claw-tipped finger along the edge of her panties, intent on slipping a finger underneath the edge to reach his goal. . ._

He awoke panting, covered in sweat, and painfully aroused. 'Damn. I do not know how much more of this I can take. Since she has come back into my life, I have dreamed of her every night.'

Sesshoumaru had dreamt of Kagome for almost 500 years, but since she had come back into his life, the dreams were more frequent and increasingly more erotic. He had wanted to take his time with her, but these dreams were only serving to fuel his desire for her to even greater heights. He wasn't sure how much longer he could hold out before prostrating himself at her feet and begging her to accept him.

'Where did that thought come from? As if this Sesshoumaru would ever degrade himself in such a foolish manner.' He furrowed his brow at even the mere thought that he, the Great and Terrible Lord Sesshoumaru, would do something so beneath him. Yet hundreds of years of want and longing could drive a man to do almost anything to get what he wanted, even a powerful demon lord. No, he wasn't that desperate yet. However, if he continued to be plagued by such dreams, he feared he might do something equally as foolish.

The clock beside the bed told him that it was 2 A.M. He had to be up in a few hours anyways and he knew that he would get no more sleep, so with a heavy sigh he pushed himself up out of bed and headed for a cold shower.

_~~~PL~~~_

Sesshoumaru tried once again to focus on the reports on his desk, but try as he might he couldn't seem to take his mind off of Kagome. He was silently cursing himself for giving her a week to get settled in before she started working at his company. It was Thursday, and even though it had only been two days since he had seen her, he longed to see her again.

Why should he have to wait to see her? He was an intelligent being, so surely he could come up with some plausible excuse to see her again. Mind churning and going over every possible scenario he could think of, inspiration finally struck him. It had been some time since Shippo had come over and dined with him. Shippo had dined with him frequently before he left for America, so it wouldn't seem odd if he invited him to dinner. Of course, since Kagome was living with Shippo now, it would only be proper to invite her as well. Pleased with himself, he picked up the phone and extended a dinner invitation to Shippo and Kagome.

_~~~PL~~~_

Kagome had just finished taking her brand-new, freshly washed sheets out of the dryer when Shippo stepped out to take a phone call. She'd had a very busy day, and it was only 3 P.M. She still had a few more things to do and then she would be finished with her redecorating. She hummed happily as she carried them back to her room.

Kagome had mentioned to Shippo that she would like to redecorate her bedroom and that she planned to run to the mall for some shopping. He had insisted on coming along to help carry purchases. She noticed that he seemed to steer her towards certain stores. Most of the ones he'd suggested were the pricier ones that she really couldn't afford, but she had followed him anyway just to have a look. Kagome had been surprised that all of them were having non-advertised sales, and she had been able to purchase high quality bedding at such discounted prices that she decided she could afford to redecorate the bathroom as well. It had only taken her a few hours to find everything she wanted, and she was excited to get back to the apartment to start decorating.

Shippo had offered to paint the walls for her, but she turned him down. She was pleased with the cream colored carpet and the lighter cream colored walls. She didn't know the names of the different varieties of the color cream so she dubbed the carpet heavy cream and the walls non-fat cream. The neutral colors left her open to many color possibilities.

Kagome finished making her bed and stepped back to admire her handiwork. She had decided to keep with the color scheme of the room and had purchased a cream colored heavy down comforter. She had seen a picture in a magazine once that featured a cream colored bedroom with little splashes of color here and there, so she had decided to try and re-create that look. Her chosen dash of color was blue. She bought light blue sheets and varying shades of blue accent pillows to complete the look of her bed. She had also managed to find a cream colored chair for beside her bed. She took her time draping a blue throw blanket over the edge of the chair to make it look as though it had been casually dropped there. A few of Shippo's paintings adorned the wall, a curio cabinet in the corner to hold her treasures, and a few potted plants made the room look homey and inviting. She wanted it to look relaxed and elegant, so she had to reign herself in. Otherwise, she would have gotten carried away, and it would have been too busy looking. In her opinion, she did well and she thought that it looked like something straight out of a magazine.

It was hard to go with the more elegant look in the bathroom. While they were shopping, she had seen a white bathmat with bloody footprints on it and a matching white shower curtain that had bloody handprints running down the length of it and had been tempted to go with those. After several long minutes of contemplation, she decided that she had seen enough blood and guts in the feudal era. Besides, she did love to relax in a hot bath, and if she went with the whole psycho theme, it would be hard to relax while staring at bloody hand and foot prints. In the end, she decided to go with cream and blue.

"It looks good. I might need you to redecorate my room," Shippo said from the doorway.

"Thanks, Shippo. I like it too." Kagome beamed proudly.

Shippo was a little nervous about telling Kagome about his call with Sesshoumaru. He knew that she still didn't trust his motives. He also knew that as soon as she started work, Sesshoumaru would step up his efforts to win her over. Until she realized that Sesshoumaru wasn't playing games, it would be good for her to spend some time with him. Shippo was going to be included tonight, so he could act as a buffer of sorts and maybe help keep Kagome calm.

_~~~PL~~~_

Stepping into the living room, Kagome was relieved to see Shippo dressed in khaki slacks and a navy polo shirt. She had chosen black slacks and a pink silk blouse. She was nervous about going to Sesshoumaru's house for dinner already; she didn't need the added stress of being inappropriately dressed.

Shippo looked up in time to see Kagome fidgeting nervously and trying to smooth imaginary wrinkles from her pants.

"You look beautiful," Shippo said as he looked her over.

"Thank you, Shippo, I just…" Shippo interrupted her before she could complete her sentence.

Pulling her into a loose embrace, he rubbed her back in soothing circles. "Mama, there is no need to be nervous."

"I know, but it's hard for me to get used to him being nice. I know he saved me and all, but that was just because I was needed to take care of the Shikon. I'm sure if it weren't for that, he would have let Naraku kill me. Kami knows Sesshoumaru tried to kill me himself several times. Besides, when I left, we were shaky allies at best." Kagome said as she pulled away from Shippo and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Plus, have you forgotten that he was very vocal about the fact that he hates humans?" Then in her best Sesshoumaru impression, "With the exception of a few, humans are beneath this Sesshoumaru. You would do well to remember that, miko." Kagome always assumed that the only human he made an exception for was Rin. "I think Rin was probably the only human that he ever liked. During our alliance he only tolerated the rest of us."

Shippo couldn't help but laugh at the accurate description of Sesshoumaru's past behavior. He was sure that if he told Kagome that she had managed to earn Sesshoumaru's respect, she would never believe him. She never believed any of the positive things people said to her, and nothing could convince her otherwise. Negative things were a totally different story. She believed any negative comment and held onto it like it were some valuable treasure she was afraid she would lose.

He could only imagine what her reaction would be when she found out that she had managed to make the ice lord fall for her. Sesshoumaru thought he hid it well, but Shippo had lived with him for decades and knew that the demon lord was in love with the little miko.

Taking her chin in hand to force her to look up at him, he said, "Mama, I know it's still too soon for you, but trust me that he has changed. Give him a chance." Smiling down at her he added, "Have you forgotten that I tried to kill you and so did Inuyasha. You gave us another chance. You also said that people can change. Why is it so hard to believe that Sesshoumaru has changed? You said that everyone deserves a second chance. You always told me that.."

"OK, OK, enough of what I used to say," she giggled. It was true that she did used to say that people can change, but that was before Inuyasha had destroyed her faith in people. Why couldn't he have been honest with her? She could ask herself why all day and still never come up with an answer. She knew that it was time to move on from Inuyasha's betrayal. She was so tired of being miserable. Besides, hadn't she decided that it was time to start a new outlook on life to go with her new job? Maybe it was time to start letting go of the negative things in her life and focus on the positive.

Kagome grabbed her coat and, with a smile to Shippo, said, "I'm ready to go."


	10. Chapter 10

Paper Lanterns Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** No matter how badly I might wish it otherwise, I do not own Inuyasha or any of the Inuyasha characters.

**A/N: ** Thank you to the amazing CritterWhisperer for doing the beta work on this. Also thank you everyone for your reviews, they make me smile!

_~~~PL~~~_

Sesshoumaru stood on the balcony of his penthouse apartment, starring at the horizon as he waited for Kagome and Shippo to arrive. He owned a large home in a quiet neighborhood on the outskirts of town, but with the hours he often worked, it was more convenient to keep a residence closer to work. It was also closer to Kagome and Shippo, which meant that they would spend less time driving and more time in his company whenever they came. That was a huge factor in deciding to host dinner at the apartment.

He fought the urge to pace nervously and probably would have if not for the fact that he found the action pointless. Sesshoumaru could not remember a time in his life when he felt apprehensive, but it happened frequently whenever Kagome was concerned.

Always so sure of himself and his actions, Sesshoumaru exuded confidence. Never had he been unsure of an action or second guessed a decision. With Kagome it was different. He found himself nervous and uncertain in her presence. He was worried that he would do or say something that would turn her away from him before he ever got the chance to have her. He had never worried about pleasing another before, yet he found himself eager to please her.

Sesshoumaru had come to terms with his feelings for her long ago, but being in her presence again was almost driving him insane. All of these emotions that he had fought to hide for years were starting to break through his control, and he was finding himself unable to completely hide them. It was a blow to his ego to know that one tiny, little onna could cause him such turmoil and strain his formidable control. With an uncharacteristic sigh, he realized that he would willingly sacrifice some of that control for her and only her. He loved her and for that he would suffer a little bruising to his pride without complaint.

_~~~PL~~~_

Kagome was surprised when they pulled into the parking garage in an apartment complex near Sesshoumaru's office. She had expected him to live in some huge mansion in some upscale neighborhood. This assumption was proven correct when she voiced her thoughts to Shippo.

Shippo laughed as he confirmed that Sesshoumaru did indeed have a large house on the outskirts of Tokyo.

"He usually stays in the apartment through the week because of the hours he works, but he stays in his house on weekends," Shippo said, "I'm sure you'll get to see it. When I'm in town, he usually invites me to stay with him. I have a room there and everything."

Then, a little more solemn, Shippo said, "I think he gets lonely." The thought briefly crossed his mind that, with Kagome's soft heart, that comment might help her make a connection with Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru had never shown a desire for the companionship of others, but as the years passed he had began to seek out the presence of others with more frequency. This led Shippo to believe that the once-solitary demon lord was lonely.

"Sesshoumaru? Lonely?" Kagome asked with disbelief.

"I know it's hard to believe, but yes, I honestly believe that he gets lonely. When he was younger he was arrogant and believed that he didn't need anyone for companionship, but I think Rin changed that." He carefully watched Kagome for her reaction.

"He's grown since then, and he's changed. Why do you think he keeps me and Inuyasha around when 500 years ago he barely tolerated us? Now he treats us like pack, family. Could you imagine how lonely you would get if you had lived such a long life with no one to share it with?" The slight frown and the wrinkle on her brow told him that his words had had the desired effect and she was thinking about what he had said.

Kagome could only sit there in shock. She had never considered that Sesshoumaru would feel lonely. Somehow it made him more human to her. She knew loneliness. She had only known it for a few years and could only imagine how he must feel after having lived with it for several lifetimes. Now that Shippo had opened her eyes, she was seeing Sesshoumaru in a whole new light. His questionable actions towards her now made sense. It was obvious that he was trying to surround himself with people that he felt he knew, people who knew him.

She didn't really know him per se, but she did know his character, and he knew hers. Through observation and their brief alliance in the Feudal Era, it had granted them an insight into each other's character traits. It only made sense that he would want to bring those people close, people who knew him when he was the mighty Lord Sesshoumaru and weren't after him for the wealth and power he still possessed.

She decided that she would try harder to get to know the new Sesshoumaru, and maybe they could even forge a friendship. Then maybe they both wouldn't be so lonely.

Yep, she was the same old Kagome he had known all those years ago. Shippo could see the concern and sympathy run across Kagome's features as her eyes became misty. He decided that he needed to do some damage control.

"Don't tell Sesshoumaru I told you that, he would kill me," Shippo said only half joking.

"Don't worry, Shippo, I won't," she said with a sniffle.

_~~~PL~~~_

Kagome wasn't sure what to think when the butler let them into Sesshoumaru's apartment. She had been expecting lavish décor and priceless artifacts instead of the muted browns and modern décor. Suppressing the urge to smack her forehead, she thought, _Duh, Kagome, did you expect him to live in some sort of ancient mausoleum? _

With a soft giggle, she realized that was exactly what she had been expecting. The place looked surprisingly warm and inviting, which was such a contrast to its owner.

"Shippo, Kagome, would you care for a drink before dinner?"

Kagome looked up from her perusal of the apartment to find its owner staring at her expectantly. She had to admit that he was very handsome as he stood there in his tailored black slacks and long-sleeved dress shirt. She finally managed to drag her eyes to his and discovered that staring into his eyes did funny things to her stomach. There was something in his eyes she couldn't quite place, but if she had to name it, she would say that it almost looked like affection.

_Wow, where did that thought come from?_ She finally found her voice and said, "Huh?"

With a chuckle Sesshoumaru repeated his question, then added, "Does my presence unnerve you, Kagome?"

"No. I um... I was admiring... your home is lovely," she finally managed to stammer out. _Great job, Kagome. Geez, girl, get a grip._ She had already decided that she was going to make an effort to be friends with him, and she didn't think that acting like a spaz in front of him was the best way to do that.

A maid came and announced that dinner was served. Kagome followed the men into the dining room and thanked Sesshoumaru when he pulled her chair out for her.

They engaged in small talk as they ate their dinner. Kagome found it a little disconcerting that dinner consisted of all her favorite dishes, right down to her favorite dessert. She would almost suspect him of being some kind of creepy stalker, but this was Sesshoumaru.

From what she remembered of him, he was always prepared. He never jumped into anything without thorough thought and investigation. He was trying to make her part of his pack, so it stood to reason that he would be trying to please her. Still, it was a little above and beyond. Perhaps she would speak about it with Shippo later. Then she remembered what Shippo had told her about Sesshoumaru being lonely. Maybe that would make him go a little overboard? That would explain the job and even the insistence that she live with Shippo. Still, she decided that she would talk to Shippo after they left.

_~~~PL~~~_

After dinner they retired to the living room where Kagome and Shippo seated themselves on the sofa while Sesshoumaru sat in an armchair beside Kagome.

The conversation now was more of a personal nature with each getting to know the other. Sesshoumaru kept the conversation going by asking Kagome all questions and in return answering the ones she asked of him. His attention never once wavered and Kagome found herself flattered and a tiny bit uncomfortable at being the center of such intense focus.

Kagome found out that Sesshoumaru liked to laugh and did so often whenever Shippo told a joke or amusing story. He also liked to read cheesy horror novels. She had laughed until tears ran down her face when he told her that. She would have expected him to like military or historical novels. He assured her that he did indeed enjoy reading those types of novels, but he found the horror novels humorous and a nice change of pace.

Sesshoumaru also had a love for the beach. He told her that he owned a private island that he tried to visit as often as possible, claiming that the sound of the waves breaking on the sand was relaxing. Kagome found out that Ah-Un were still alive and lived on Sesshoumaru's island, along with some of the other animal-type youkai who preferred the more secluded life and couldn't easily fit in with the human populous. When she expressed a desire to see Ah-Un again, Sesshoumaru began plotting the trip in his head.

Sesshoumaru was pleased that Kagome seemed more at ease in his presence than she had during their previous encounters. It gave him hope that perhaps it wouldn't take as long as he had feared to make her his.

Kagome found herself telling him more about herself than she had intended. Of course, it wasn't as if she were divulging any deep secrets. He now knew her favorite color, what type movies and books she liked, and even her dream vacation.

Shippo sat back with a huge grin on his face as he watched the pair spend time bonding. It looked as though they were completely oblivious to anything other than each other. He didn't mind though. He wanted to see them both happy, and he knew that once Kagome opened up, let go of past impressions, and gave Sesshoumaru a chance, Sesshoumaru would make her happy. Shippo was sure that Sesshoumaru would cherish Kagome and do everything in his power to make her happy.

Several hours passed before Shippo announced that it was time to leave. Kagome really hated to go. Sesshoumaru had been such pleasant company, but even she had to admit that she was tired and could no longer suppress the yawns she had been fighting. Shippo let out a chuckle because he wasn't sure who was more disappointed about their departure, Kagome or Sesshoumaru.

"I had a really great time tonight. Thank you so much, Sesshoumaru, for dinner," Kagome said with a smile.

"You are welcome, Kagome. I enjoyed it as well."

_~~~PL~~~_

"That went well," Kagome remarked as they climbed into the elevator, "I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that he is nothing like I thought he would be. I do have a question, though. How did he know all my favorite dishes?" she asked as she eyed Shippo suspiciously.

"He asked me what you liked," he replied without pause.

That made sense, but why? Why was he trying so hard to please her? "Why is he trying so hard, Shippo? He's already convinced me to work for him, and while I'm not completely all in on the whole pack thing, I think I've made it clear that I'm willing to give it a shot."

_Because he's been in love with you for hundreds of years and is trying to show you that he can care for you and make you happy,_ he thought before saying, "Kagome, he just wants to show you he's changed and that he wants to build a friendship with you. Isn't that what you would do if you were trying to overcome a bad impression that someone had of you? Wouldn't you do everything you could to show them you'd changed and try to make them like you?"

"You're right, and I guess he did make a better impression on me now than he has in the past. When did you get to be so wise, my son?" Kagome smiled softly and patted his shoulder.

"I had very positive role models." Even though he wasn't a little kit anymore, he couldn't help the surge of pride that shot through him at his mother's praise.

_~~~PL~~~_

Kagome stood on the balcony of the apartment, deep in thought as she prepared to release her customary lantern. She found herself thinking back over the pleasant evening she had spent with Sesshoumaru and Shippo. She felt like she had gotten to know the powerful Demon Lord more in this one evening than she ever had during their time spent in the feudal era. Whereas back then he had been stoic and closed off emotionally, now he seemed open and charming.

She found herself torn. She liked this Sesshoumaru and found that she could easily forge a friendship with him. If she were to be completely honest with herself, she could find herself wishing for more than just a friendship with this new Sesshoumaru. When they were talking, he made her feel like she was the only person in the room and that every word she said was important. For a girl who had never had a man show such interest in getting to know her, it made her feel special.

Those were dangerous thoughts for her to be having about Sesshoumaru. It wouldn't do for her to develop a crush on him. She was only a human, and he would never see her as anything other than a member of his pack. She was sure that when he did finally mate, it would be to a beautiful demoness and not a human like herself.

_Okay, Kagome, enough of that. Damn girl, you spend one pleasant evening with the guy and now you're already starting to crush on him. _Still, she did wonder why Sesshoumaru hadn't taken a mate in all this time; surely someone would have caught his eye by now. She would have to ask Shippo about it.

Pushing those thoughts from her mind, she held her lantern in front of her before closing her eyes and making her wish. She let out a wistful sigh as she watched her lantern take flight.

_~~~PL~~~_

A few blocks away, Sesshoumaru stood on his balcony with a slight smile on his face. He felt that tonight had been a success. He had gotten to know far more about Kagome than he thought possible in such a short amount of time. He had also told her many things about himself, but that was okay because she would eventually come to know everything about him.

Sesshoumaru was lonely, not that he would ever admit it. Back in his younger days he had been so focused on his conquest for power that he really didn't feel the need to be surrounded by others. Plus, he had his little pack consisting of Rin and Jaken. That was enough for many years, but now he found himself seeking out the company of others. A pack-oriented being by nature, he craved companionship. Sure his little pack had grown, but now he wanted companionship of a different nature, and he wanted it with Kagome. Now that she was back in his life, it was time to settle down, mate and begin producing offspring.

The thought of mating and offspring caused the predictable, if not ill-timed, reaction to his body. It was going to take every bit of his iron-clad control to keep from throwing her down and mating her before he wooed her too him.

He was just about to turn and go back inside and head for yet another cold shower when something caught his eye. It was another lantern. He had seen them on several occasions, and they had sparked his curiosity. He was usually able to resist such inconsequential things, but for some reason these lanterns were a mystery that begged to be solved.

Luck was on his side tonight. With the direction the wind was blowing, it would bring the lantern close enough for him to snag it. His apartment was high enough up that he doubted anyone would see him form his cloud and snatch it. Decision made, he waited until it was closer before forming his cloud beneath his feet and plucking his prize from the sky.

He took the lantern inside to examine it. It was somewhat anti-climatic because at first glance it looked like nothing special. It was a simple paper and bamboo lantern but on closer inspection he noticed the words 'longing to be loved' written neatly on the side.

"Hn."

He knew the feeling of longing for love. For years he had longed for the love of one female. This, however, didn't seem to specify a longing for someone, only a longing for love. A little disappointed that his mystery had been less than stellar, he went to the trash receptacle and was about to dispose of the thing when something caught his attention. Slowly, he brought the lantern close to his face and inhaled deeply, taking in all the scents that were on the paper. One scent stood out above the others. It was a scent that he was very familiar with. It smelled like Kagome.

Changing his original plan of disposing of it, he turned and headed for his bedroom where he placed the lantern on his night stand. If it was love she was longing for, then it was love she would get._ He_ had been longing to love her for centuries, and it would be he who showered her with the love and affection she wished for.


End file.
